/ News, Forschung, Events
Thanushiyah Korn Presents Her PhD Research on Rwanda at diss:kurs 2024
Why does history matter? Is it only for the sake of remembrance, or to give ourselves the chance to learn from the mistakes that were made? Thanushiyah Korn makes a strong argument for the latter when presenting her PhD research on the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda at diss:kurs 2024. The event took place on 16 May 2024 at the Theater Tabourettli in Basel and offered a platform for scholars to share and discuss their findings with fellow researchers and the wider public.
As the first of seven talks at diss:kurs 2024, Thanushiyah Korn’s presentation “Global Dimensions of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda” introduced the audience to core interests of her PhD research. Her talk not only remembered the genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda, which – over 30 years ago – cost the lives of over 800,000 people within 100 days. It also raised the issue of the part that international actors played in Rwanda’s path to genocide, including Switzerland and many other international governments. The presentation made a strong case for the relevance and potential of historical research today.
diss:kurs 2024 was part of an ongoing event series for early-career researchers organised by the University of Basel. The science-slam format regularly brings together PhD researchers and post-docs from various disciplines and offers a platform for them to share their insights on current research topics with a wider audience. A short q&a session after each 10-minute presentation encourages a dialogue between scholars, prospective PhD students and the public more generally.
Thanushiyah Korn joined the Institute for European Global Studies in October 2023 as a research assistant. Since 2022, she has been a PhD student in the Department of History working on a research project entitled “Development, Cooperation and Conflict – A Global History of Rwanda’s Path to the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi”. Previously, she held a PhD scholarship from the Heinrich Böll Foundation Germany. Thanushiyah Korn has a BA in English Studies and History from the University of Basel as well as an MA in Global History from the University of Heidelberg. Her research focuses on global history as a perspective and method, critique of racism, the politics of history, the colonial past and postcolonial historiography.